The rate of crime on Indian Railways is showing a steady increase every year, statistics show.
The number of reported cases involving harassment of women and children, in particular, has shown a marked increase. It must be kept in mind that only a fraction of the crimes committed on Indian Railways is actually reported.
In 2012, a total of 165 cases were reported that involved harassing women or children. The number rose to 242 in 2013 and to 312 in 2014. In January of this year alone, 28 such cases were reported to the Railways.
The number of murders and robberies have remained largely static during the three years. In 2012, a total of 29 murders were reported on the trains, while 30 murders were reported in 2014.
However, theft cases have steadily. From 8,225 cases in 2012, theft increased to 11,460 in 2014. In January alone, 966 cases of theft on Indian Railways were reported.
Safety and security on trains and railway stations is considered the duty of the state governments, though the Railways also has a special police force called Railway Police Force to ensure that the law is followed.
To prevent crime, the Railways is expanding its system of ‘integrated monitoring’ to 202 railway stations across the country. At present only around 100 stations have this system. It has also established a special helpline 1800-111-322 for passengers in case of crime and distress.
Robbery Theft Murder Harassment 2012 448 8225 29 165 2013 532 9191 32 242 2014 471 11460 30 312 2015 47 966 3 28(January)
